Do you enjoy reading? Here readers of your age from all over the United States recommend (推荐) great books for you to read:

      My favorite book is Don’t Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel. I love all her books, but this was the first one I read and I have to say, it is by far my favorite. It doesn’t end like other books, and I cried while reading.

      I think Nancy Drew is great! Nancy is a detective (侦探) who has many fantastic ideas! I love it because it’s a book from when my grandma was my age, and I can share the fun with her!

      I highly recommend Skinny Bones by Barbara Park. It is funny , so please add it on your book list. You don’t want to miss out funny stories！

      I would suggest ______ by Judy Blume. It is based on real things that happened to Judy Blume. It is about a girl, Alice, who meets some girls at a new state. They become friends, make a club and meet once a week. They stop after two weeks because they all like a boy in their class and put him as number one. I think every girl should read this because it is about our growing up.

      I read a book called Neela: Victory Song and it was so good I read it twice! It takes place in India in 1936 and this 12-year-old girl named Neela tries to save her father! It has lots of his tory in it! I also learned a lot about different cultures! The author’s name is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

Some people find exam times so bad that they become ill, because they are afraid of failing and afraid of letting their parents and family down. If exams are really making you ill or worried, don’t hide your feelings. Talk to someone about it. Maybe you can speak to a friend, or someone in your family, or teachers at your place of study.

How to get through exams? Here is some advice:

● Ask a teacher about how to review your lessons, and improve exam skills.

● Take short rests during your time of work. If your mind is tired, it will not remember well.

● Plan your work: Study at times when you know you will work at your best.

● Get enough sleep, and eat healthy food.

● Stop thinking about the future and failing.

If you feel ill, talk to someone about your worries. But don’t be too relaxed! Some stress over exams makes you work hard for them.

To this advice, we could add:

If you are studying in the evening, don’t go straight to bed. Your mind will still be “going round and round”—thinking too much. Do something else, maybe walk or get exercise. Choose something that will relax you, and make you think of other things.

“I want to know how to speak English well. What can I do?” Bill asks this question like many students do. I ask him, “How do you learn English?” He answers, “Only in the English lessons.” The first thing I will say is, “That is not enough!”

   If you want to speak English well, you have to practice. Speak to friends, classmates, people online or in stores. Speaking is the best way to learn a language.

    In my lessons I usually ask my students how they feel about speaking English, and they often say “nervous,” “scared（害怕的）,” or some words like these. The second advice I can give is to relax. Don’t worry about making mistakes. If you can’t think of the right word to use, don’t worry about it, just say what you want to say.

     Speaking English well isn’t just about practicing your speaking. It is also important to listen to English. Listen to the English programs.

   You want to know about my staying in America, right? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience to study here.

   In China, I had English classes five times a week since fifth grade. However, I didn't know how different textbook English could be from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut. When I first studied English, I was told to say, "I am fine" when people say "How are you?" But in the US, I found that people say, "I am good" or "I'm tired" .One day, someone greeted me with "What's up?" It made me confused, I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn't know what to say. Since then, I have discovered more and more differences between Chinese and US cultures. To my surprise, US girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun to get a tan(晒黑). However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin paler or "whiter". I was also surprised by how hardworking US students are.

   In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that's it. But here, a "good" student gets good grades, does a lot for the public and plays sports or music. The kids here are so talented, I am starting to be sorry that I gave up playing the piano at an early age and that I have never thought about sports.

Zhang Zifeng is a student in a middle school in Beijing. She has a good friend, Elle Fanning in the USA. They discuss (讨论) the differences (不同) between Chinese students and American students.

   "As a Chinese student, we arc very busy every day. From 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., we arc at school with our teachers. In class we always listen to teachers and take notes carefully. We need to do lots of homework after school from Monday to Friday. We can't eat food or drink milk in class. Students call their teachers with "Mr" or "Miss". On Saturday and Sunday, some students play computer games, some students have "after-school classes and some students play sports with their families." Zhang Zifeng says to her friends.

   "However, in the USA, things arc different. We have only five classes, three in the morning and two arc in the afternoon. In class, we can eat some food or drink some milk. We can speak out freely. After school, we play sports with our friends at school. On Saturday and Sunday, we have a trip with our families. As for homework, we do it with our group. But our teachers let us read many books in our rice time." Elle Fanning says.

All schools have their own rules (规则)．The rules change from one school to another. Some schools are much stricter(严格)than others．There are also some rules that are strange or funny to us. Here are some funny school rules:

   Strict Japanese rules

   Most schools ask students to wear uniforms, such as sports suits or skirts. But Japanese schools even have rules about the color of underwear! They also need that girls' socks should be folded (折叠) in a certain way and boys' heads should be shaved(剃).

   Other Japanese schools tell students that they can't go to the movies after sunset.

   Different shoes in the USA

   At some American schools, students have to change their shoes when they go into the schools every day．This makes sure students won't fall over on the floors and keeps the schools clean.

   No strange hair in the UK

   Students can't have strange hairstyles in some British schools. But they can wear certain hairstyles during the World Cup years．There were two students who had special hairstyles during the 2002 World Cup．After the World Cup, their teachers asked them to go to the barber's at once.

   Do you like blueberries? But maybe you don't know blueberries well.

    Farmers often grow them on bushes(灌木丛) in the field. A blueberry is small and round. Many blueberries can grow on one bush. At first, the blueberries are green. You can't eat the green berries. A lot of sun and rain help them become sweet. When the berries become blue and big, they are ripe and sweet.

    After the blueberries are ripe, people put them into boxes and bring them to stores and supermarkets. People buy the blueberries and take them home to eat. After they wash the berries, they eat them one by one. Some people like to cook with blueberries. They make blueberry muffins(松饼) and pancakes. They like to make blueberry juice. Others like to make blueberry ice cream. It is very cool!

Many people have a fear of publicspeaking.According to a study, it has an influence on 3 in every 4 people. This fact is surprising and worrying, as most jobs require some speaking ability. The following will help you to make a speech better.  

  Write note cards.Write main ideas on your cards. Don’t write details. Put in some fun facts, questions, and other activities on the cards to share with the class. Don’t look at your note cards for a long time while speaking. If necessary, you’re only going to want to have a quick look at the card for information, not read every last word.  

  Smile at your class.When it comes time to speak, there’s nothing that draws your class into your speech than a good old-fashioned smile. Be happy, because you’re about to teach your class something they didn’t know before. Studies have shown that smiles are infections. That means once you smile, it’s hard for everyone else not to smile. So if you want your speech to go off well, smile. That’ll make everyone smile and maybe those smiles will make you actually smile.  

  Make eye contact.Nothing is more boring than listening to a speaker who looks at the floor or at note cards. Relax. Your class is made up of your friends and you talk to them all the time. Talk the same way now. Have a look at every person in the classroom at least once. That way, everyone will feel like you’re communicating with them. Also, you’ll look like you know what you’re talking about.  

  Use hand motions.Move your hands along as you talk, using them to express your key points and keep the class interested. It will also lead your nervous energy into a better place.

All students need to have good study habits（习惯）.When you have good study habits, you can learn things quickly. You also remember（记得）them easily.

Do you like to study in the livingroom? This is not a good place because it is usually too noisy. You need to study in a quiet（安静）place, like your bedroom. A quiet place will help you only think about one thing, and you will learn better.

Before you begin to study, do not forget to clean your desk. A good desk light is important, too. You'll feel tired easily if there is not enough light.

The class in America is almost the same as that in China. But something is a bit different.

In America, if the teacher asks you a question but you don’t understand, put up your hand and ask the teacher to say it again. If you don’t know the answer, it’s all right to tell the teacher. Then the teacher will know what you need to learn.

You must go to school on a test day. If you are badly ill, let the teacher know you won’t be there for the test. If your teacher allows a make-up test(补考), you should take the test in one or two days after you go back to school.

Be on time! It’s not polite to be late. If you arrive late, be sure to keep quiet. You needn’t knock before you come into the classroom. Just go to your seat and sit down quietly. Don’t make too much noise. If you have to leave during the class, do it quietly, too. There is no need to ask for the teacher’s agreement.